Col GKS Reddy Coins: VISIT TO EUROPE - UNITED KINGDOM - LONDON

CHAPPIDI ABHIRATH REDDY
C/O COL GKS REDDY

Secunderabad - 500015

London Listeni/ˈlʌndən/ is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. With an estimated 8,308,369 residents in 2012, London is the most populous region, urban zone and metropolitan area in the United Kingdom and is the largest city in the European Union. Standing on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium.

London is a world cultural capital. It is the world's most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the world's largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.

London has a diverse range of peoples and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken within its boundaries. London had an official population of 8,174,100, making it the most populous municipality in the European Union, and accounting for 12.5% of the UK population. The Greater London Urban Area is the second-largest in the EU with a population of 9,787,426 according to the 2011 census.

London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens; the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret's Church; and the historic settlement of Greenwich (in which the Royal Observatory, Greenwich marks the Prime Meridian, 0° longitude, and GMT). Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. London is home to numerous museums, galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions, including the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, British Library and 40 West End theatres. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world.

Visit London - 17 Sep 2013

I along with my elder daughter Jahnavi, planned to visit 'The Imperial War Museum, London to see the Air & Land Warfare Weapons and Equipment of World War II. When we landed up at the Museum, I was quite impressed with the massive 15" British Naval Guns of WW I & II vintage, which welcomed us at the entrance of the Museum.

However, we were in for a big shock on entering the Museum, as we came to know that, all the War like Exhibits to include weapons & Equipment had been shifted to Duxford Museum, due to renovation work at London Museum. Only photographs and Models of damage caused during the War and sections pertaining to WW - II Spy network of UK etc were available. The only exhibit available was that of Humber Pig - The sturdy British Armour ed car used by the Army in Northern Ireland.

Hence, we decided to spend the day visiting The Tower of London, Tower Bridge and other attractions in and around the Tower.

A view of Imperial War Museum, London with the 15" Guns at the Entrance

Self and Daughter in front of IWM London

15 Inch British Naval Guns

The BL 15 inch Mark I succeeded the 13.5-inch (340 mm) gun. It was the first British 15 inch (381 mm) gun design and the most widely used and longest lasting of any British designs, and arguably the most efficient heavy gun ever developed by the Royal Navy. It was deployed on capital ships from 1915 until 1959, and was a key Royal Navy gun in both World Wars.

This gun was an enlarged version of the successful BL 13.5 inch Mk V naval gun, specifically intended to arm the new Queen Elizabeth-class battleships as part of the British response to the new generation of Dreadnought battleships Germany was building during the naval arms race leading up to World War I. The normal slow and cautious prototype and testing stages of a new gun's development were bypassed, and it was ordered straight from the drawing board due to the urgency of the times. In the event it met all expectations and was a competitive battleship main armament throughout both World Wars.

The barrel was 42 calibres long (i.e., 15 in x 42 = 630 in) and was referred to as "15 inch/42". This wire-wound gun fired a 1938 lb (879 kg) Mk XVIIB shell at a muzzle velocity of 2,458 ft/s (785 m/s). Maximum range in shipboard mountings was 33,550 yards (30,680 m) (30 degrees elevation)

Frontal view of the 15" British Naval Guns

A Side view of the 15" Naval Guns and the Shell in yellow colour

Humber Pig - The sole Exhibit in the Land Warfare Section

Wakefield Garden

Although Wakefield Gardens was laid out in 1992 over the London Underground station, it is on land donated in the 1930s by the Wakefield Trust for public open space for the benefit of local people. It is in front of Tower Hill underground station, which was adapted from a 1961 office building in 1967. The garden contains a large sundial commissioned by London Underground Ltd and unveiled by Denis Tunnicliffe on 3 August 1992, designed by John Chitty; Edwin Russell made the bronze relief panels, which provide a history of the area. The Tower Hill Memorial for the Personnel of Merchant Navy, who laid down their lives during both World Wars is also located in the Garden.

The Large Sundial at the Wakefield Gardens

Tower Hill Memorial

The Tower Hill Memorial is a national war memorial on the south side of Trinity Square Gardens, just to the north of the Tower of London. It commemorates those from the Merchant Navy and fishing fleets who died during both world wars and have "no grave but the sea".

The First World War memorial takes the form of a vaulted corridor, 21.5 metres long, 7 metres wide and 7 to 10 metres high. Inside are 12 bronze plaques engraved with 12,000 names. It was opened by Queen Mary on 12 December 1928. The Second World War memorial takes the form of a semi-circular sunken garden located behind the corridor, to its north. It contains the names of 24,000 British seamen and 50 Australian seamen, listed on the walls of the sunken garden. In the centre of the garden is a pool of bronze, engraved with a compass pointing north. The First World War memorial was designed by Edwin Lutyens and the Second World War memorial by Sir Edward Maufe.

Between the two memorials are two columns with statues representing an officer (western column) and a seaman (eastern). This was designed by Charles Wheeler. The second part of the memorial was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 5 November 1955. The main inscription, located in between the two columns, reads

THE TWENTY-FOUR THOUSAND OF THE MERCHANT NAVY AND FISHING FLEETS WHOSE NAMES ARE HONOURED ON THE WALLS OF THIS GARDEN GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY AND HAVE NO GRAVE BUT THE SEA.

The Memorial Built after WW - I

The World War II Memorial located just behind WW I Memorial

The Tower of London

Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard), until 1952 (Kray twins)[3] although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site.

The Tower of London has played a prominent role in English history. It was besieged several times and controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. From the early 14th century until the reign of Charles II, a procession would be led from the Tower to Westminster Abbey on the coronation of a monarch. In the absence of the monarch, the Constable of the Tower is in charge of the castle. This was a powerful and trusted position in the medieval period. In the late 15th century the castle was the prison of the Princes in the Tower. Under the Tudors, the Tower became used less as a royal residence, and despite attempts to refortify and repair the castle its defences lagged behind developments to deal with artillery. Today the Tower of London is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Under the ceremonial charge of the Constable of the Tower, it is cared for by the charity Historic Royal Palaces and is protected as a World Heritage Site.

A view of Tower of London including the Moat from the West

A view of Northern Half of the Tower, with Tower Hill Located behind the Inner Fort Wall

Another view of the Northern & Central part of the Tower

The Central & Southern part of the Tower with the Main Entry Gate at the SW Corner

The Main entry Gate of the Tower at the SW Corner, facing West

A view of the Tower from the South and Southern Entry (Western Half)

The Eastern Half of the Tower (SE Corner) as seen from the River bank. The Watch Towers

Guard the

Tower Bridge and River Thames

A Long view of the Tower from across River Thames (From the Town Hall on the Southern Bank)

The Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge (built 1886–1894) is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London which crosses the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name, and has become an iconic symbol of London.

The bridge consists of two towers tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways, designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. The bridge's present colour scheme dates from 1977, when it was painted red, white and blue for Queen Elizabeth II's silver jubilee. Originally it was painted a mid-greenish-blue colour.

The nearest London Underground station is Tower Hill on the Circle and District lines, and the nearest Docklands Light Railway station is Tower Gateway.

A view of Tower Bridge from near Main entrance of the Tower at SW Corner

A closer view of the Bridge from near the Southern Entrance of the Tower

A view of the Tower Bridge from Northern Entry Arch (Entry from the Tower side)

A view of Southern Tower of the Tower Bridge taken from the Centre of the Bridge

A view of the Southern Entry Arch taken from the Bridge

A view of the Bridge from the Southern Bank of the River (From Town Hall)

Town Hall (London)

City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA) which comprises the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. It is located in Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge. It was designed by Norman Foster and opened in July 2002, two years after the Greater London Authority was created. City Hall was constructed at a cost of £43 million on a site formerly occupied by wharves serving the Pool of London. The building does not belong to the GLA but is leased under a 25-year rent.

The building has an unusual, bulbous shape, purportedly intended to reduce its surface area and thus improve energy efficiency, although the excess energy consumption caused by the exclusive use of glass (in a double facade) overwhelms the benefit of shape. Despite claiming the building "demonstrates the potential for a sustainable, virtually non-polluting public building", energy use measurements have shown this building to be fairly inefficient in terms of energy use. Its designers reportedly saw the building as a giant sphere hanging over the Thames, but opted for a more conventionally rooted building instead. It has no front or back in conventional terms but derives its shape from a modified sphere.

Town Hall (London) as seen from Southern Bank of River Thames from near the Tower Bridge

Frontal View of the Town Hall

A view of Town Hall from the West (From Shard side)

The Shard

The Shard, also referred to as the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge[9] and formerly London Bridge Tower, is an 87-storey skyscraper in London that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. The Shard's construction began in March 2009; it was topped out on 30 March 2012 and inaugurated on 5 July 2012. Practical completion was achieved in November 2012. Its privately operated observation deck, the View from the Shard, opened to the public on 1 February 2013.

Standing approximately 306 metres (1,004 ft) high, the Shard is currently the tallest building in the European Union. It is the second-tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, after the concrete tower at the Emley Moor transmitting station. The glass-clad pyramidal tower has 72 habitable floors, with a viewing gallery and open-air observation deck – the UK's highest – on the 72nd floor, at a height of 244.3 metres (802 ft). It was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano.

A long view of Shard from the Tower Bridge

A Closer view of the Shard from near the Town Hall

HMS Belfast – Imperial War Museum (Navy)

HMS Belfast was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 5 August 1939 under the command of Captain G A Scott DSO RN. Designed for the protection of trade and offensive action she was immediately called into service patrolling the northern waters in efforts to impose a maritime blockade on Germany. However, disaster struck after only two months at sea when HMS Belfast hit a magnetic mine. There were few casualties but the damage to her hull was so severe she was out of action for three years.

On rejoining the home fleet in 1942 she was still the largest and most powerful cruiser in the Royal Navy and most importantly she was equipped with the most advanced radar systems. HMS Belfast was immediately called into action and played a crucial role in protecting the arctic convoys, Russia’s supply route throughout the war. Most notably in her role during the Battle of North Cape which saw the sinking of the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst and the loss of all but 36 of her 1,963 crew. HMS Belfast remained protecting the arctic convoys until 1944 when she spent five weeks supporting the D-Day landings and reportedly fired one of the first shots on D-Day itself.

After the Second World War HMS Belfast played an active role in the Korean War from 1950 -1952 and She was retired from service in 1963. HMS Belfast was brought to London and moored near Tower Bridge on the southern bank of the river, opening to the public on Trafalgar Day, 21 October 1971. Today she is the last remaining vessel of her type – one of the largest and most powerful light cruisers ever built.